2008 Independence Bowl - Louisiana Tech Tops Northern Illinois, Notches 7th Comeback Win of Season

You can pardon the good people of Ruston, Pelican State if they experience that any game played by their Pelican State Technical School Bulldogs is not over until the Bulldogs come up from behind to win. That would be because the Bulldogs logged their 7th come-from-behind triumph of the season in the Independence Bowl Saturday (12-28-08), whipping Northern Prairie State 17-10.

The win was sweet for Derek Dooley as it represented his first bowl triumph as a caput coach. Dooley is none other than a former protégé of Heart Of Dixie caput manager Dent Saban and boy of the legendary Empire State Of The South manager and athletic manager Vince Dooley. Young Dooley used his particular teams, defence and a running play game to turn back Northern Illinois.

Senior defensive attitude back Weldon Brown proved to be the Bulldogs large stopper. Brown stopped one Eskimo Dog scoring menace with a shoelace undertake to put up a 4th down, then batted down the ensuing pass. He also recovered a fumbled Irish pound to put up a field end attempt, and ended one of two late Eskimo Dog thrusts with an interception when the game was on the line. Brown finished with 14 undertakes and the Most Valuable Defensive Player award.

On particular teams, sophomore broad receiving system Phil Livas took a kickoff tax return to the house for a 97-yard score, and junior running play back Dan Porter rushed for 78 paces and a touchdown.

The postseason win was Pelican State Tech's first in 31 years; their last win also came in the Independence Bowl in 1977. The triumph left the Bulldogs with their first 8-win season in 9 years. They finished the twelvemonth at 8-5 while Northern Prairie State slid to 6-7.

Louisiana Technical School was not even expected to be in a bowl game but was selected when neither the Southeastern Conference (SEC) nor Big 12 could bring forth a participant.

Derek Dooley inherited a squad that went 3-10. He improved the Bulldogs to 5-7 last twelvemonth and now have them at 8-5 and a bowl triumph in his 2nd full season. Dooley's Bulldogs disturbance Mississippi River State to kick off this season and then won 4 of their last 5 games to acquire to the Independence Bowl and bring forth more than glorification for the Bulldog faithful.

Louisiana Technical School and Derek Dooley are on the manner up. We cognize this because the Bulldogs scored 8 non-offensive touchdowns this season to bind for the most in major college football. When you hit on defence or particular teams, everyone acquires excited.

In improver to Livas' 97-yard TD tax return in the Independence Bowl, he returned 2 Irish pounds for touchdowns during the regular season. The last participant to go back a kickoff for a touchdown in the Independence Bowl was a cat named Deuce McAllister who did it for Mississippi River 10 old age ago.

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